Junior Open Wheel Talent

Pro Mazda drivers carve their way around the pristine Circuit of the Americas for Round 2 of the 2013 championship. (photo: ProMazda)

After leading the early Pro Mazda practice sessions at Circuit of The Americas, Matthew Brabham was forced to settle for third in the season opener. That was not the case in Round 2.

On Saturday, Brabham bounced back and was never seriously challenged during the 12-lap race around the 3.41-mile, 20-turn Texas road course.

Behind the leader, things were a bit more interesting. The opening lap was full of carnage, capturing several cars including Friday’s runner-up Spencer Pigot and his Team Pelfrey teammate Petri Suvanto. While Pigot was out, Suvanto was able to continue after a quick visit to pit lane. Once back on track, Suvanto put on a show driving from 15th to 5th.

World Speed Motorsport’s Kyle Kaiser drove an impressive race moving up through the field to finish sixth, following a late-race pass by Suvanto. Canadian Zach Meyer finished seventh. Nick Andries, a late addition to the field at COTA, improved seven positions in the race, finishing eighth. Andries’ teammate at JDC MotorSports, Lloyd Read, finished ninth despite battling the flu. Mexican driver Jose Gutierrez rounded out the top 10 for the second-consecutive day.

Up front, with just over a lap to go, Round 1 winner Diego Ferreira moved ahead of Shelby Blackstock for second place. Blackstock held on for third with Scott Anderson finishing fourth ahead of Suvanto. View the full results from Round 2, here.

Ferreira (58 points) leads Brabham by four points after two rounds in the 16-race season, while Blackstock, Anderson and Suvanto are all tied with 34 points apiece as the series heads to Florida for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 23-24.